What are these??

I have been trying to figure out what Sugar Alcohols are?? I have read many labels in stores and things that have no sugar sometimes have sugar alcohols. Are these sugar alcohols really just sugar, but under another name? Are they harmful to us?? Melissa

For Me sugar alcohols are bad .. Nuff said .. they reak havoc on my intestines and leave me vomiting for hours .. I hate them .. but some can tolerate them .. ( No more Chocolate SF Turtles for me LOL ) Sugar Alcohols : are chemically alcohols, but are derived from sugar molecules. They include sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, lactitol, maltitol, and others. They vary in their sweetness, ranging from about half as sweet as sugar to about as sweet. Sugar alcohols, or polyols, may be used in place of sugar by most people on a low-carbohydrate diet or who have diabetes. Polyols are slowly and incompletely absorbed from the small intestine into the blood. www.alacarb.com/glossary.html This type, whi*****ludes sorbitol, mannitol, and xylitol, is used in candy, chewing gum, and in some baked goods. Sugar alcohols have about half the calories of other nutritive sweeteners. They are called sugar alcohols because of their chemical structure. They do not contain alcohol. They are not included on the food label under grams of sugar but they are part of the ingredient list. Unlike sugar, they do not contribute to dental cavities. ... www.northmemorial.com/HealthEncyclopedia/printablePages/1940.asp A sugar alcohol (also known as a polyol, polyhydric alcohol, or polyalcohol) is a hydrogenated form of carbohydrate, whose carbonyl group (aldehyde or ketone, reducing sugar) has been reduced to a primary or secondary hydroxyl group. They are commonly used for replacing sucrose in foodstuffs, often in combination with high intensity artificial sweeteners to counter the low sweetness. Some common sugar alcohols are: *mannitol*sorbitol*xylitol*maltitol*lactitol en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_alcohols

Thank you so much, that about sums everything up. Melissa